Chapter 2

2

SAWYER

K atie's head flew up, and I got lost in her velvety brown eyes for a moment.

Damn, she was gorgeous.

I'd been stalking her social media since the day I left her house, and even though I'd see picture after picture, none of them captured her true beauty. Now that I was standing in front of her, I had no idea how I'd made it this long without coming to see her. At the time, my reasons had made sense. I wanted to build our relationship and give it time so her brother couldn't argue that we barely knew each other. And without the ability to physically connect, we'd learned a fuck of a lot about each other. I'd known rather quickly that Jesse didn't see Katie as she truly was, but after only a few days of texting, I was fascinated by her mind, her wit, and the way she drew people to her. She was like pure sunshine, lighting up the world around her.

It was so fucking hard to stay away, but I'd thrown myself into work and spent every spare moment on a special project just for her.

The plan had been to come to her at graduation, and I started the "secret admirer" stuff to help ensure she stayed single. I'd assumed she'd quickly deduce that it was me, but from her rambling text, it seemed I was wrong. I would have been worried that she might not want it to be me, except I saw the look of irritation when she brought him up, and the longing in her expression when I asked about being her valentine.

Katie was frozen in place, her thumbs hovering over her phone and looking at me as if she wasn't sure I was real.

I shoved my own cell into the pocket of my jeans and closed the rest of the distance between us. She double blinked when I cupped her face in my hands, then inhaled deeply as if she'd been holding her breath.

"Happy Valentine's Day, baby," I said softly before brushing my lips across hers.

"How…why…um, what are you doing here?" she sputtered.

I pressed my forehead against hers and closed my eyes, reveling in her vanilla and ginger scent. "I was already at my breaking point, then when you didn't answer me about your plans…" I kissed her again, then wrapped her in my arms and buried my face in her silky hair. "I just couldn't stay away any longer."

"Stay away?" she echoed.

"I tried," I mumbled. "But I missed you so fucking much."

Katie melted against me for a second, then her spine stiffened, and she poked me in the shoulder. "You better explain yourself, Ward," she snapped, and I was glad she couldn't see my face because I wasn't able to contain my smile. She was too fucking adorable.

A slow song with a heavy, sensual beat began to play, and I couldn't resist the urge to dance with her. "I know we have a lot to talk about, but first…" I took a few steps back and held out my hand. "Will you dance with me?"

Her expression turned soft and dreamy, then she nodded and placed her palm in mine. I drew her close and held our connected hands to my chest while I wrapped my other arm tightly around her waist. Her curves were every bit as delicious as I remembered, and my body simmered with need. I didn't try to hide how she affected me this time, and as we swayed to the music, my hardness brushed across her stomach. She sucked in a quick breath, her eyes flying up to meet mine.

I was relieved to see the desire burning in the chocolate depths, and I couldn't help dipping my head down and capturing her lips in our first real kiss since two days after Christmas. She tasted even sweeter than I remembered, and I devoured her with the desperation of a starving man.

When the song ended, I finally pulled back, and a smug smile curved my mouth at the sight of her pink, swollen lips and passion-glazed eyes. My restraint was being seriously tested, and I wasn't sure how much longer I could wait before taking her somewhere to be alone.

"Hey, Katie." A friendly voice sliced through our intimate little bubble, and I glowered at the person interrupting my time with my woman.

However, I smoothed my expression when I spotted the man holding the girl and shooting me death rays from his eyes. I respected his reaction because I was pretty sure that if the situation had been reversed, I'd have knocked out a few of his teeth already.

We turned to face the couple, and I tucked my girl into my side. The small dark-haired woman smiled with genuine affection at Katie, and I decided I liked her, even if her timing was shit.

"Your secret admirer, I presume," she said with a raised eyebrow in my direction, her dark eyes scrutinizing me.

Katie looked a little like a deer in headlights as she stumbled over her answer. "Well…umm…" She glanced up at me, and I nodded with a wink. She smiled, and her cheeks turned pink. "Actually, yes."

Katie's eyes were still on me as she waved a hand toward the couple. "This is Delia and Danny." Then panic filled her expression before she turned her head to look at them. "This is Sawyer, he's…um…he's my…um…"

We hadn't had a chance to talk about what was happening between us or where we were headed, so I stepped in and made things very clear. "Her boyfriend," I answered with a smile as I tugged her closer to my body. I kissed the tip of her nose and looked deep into her eyes when I added, "For now." Katie's jaw dropped, and she stared up at me with shocked brown orbs that shined with hope.

"Wow," Delia breathed, and I glanced over to see her fanning herself. "That's some chemistry you two have," she teased. "I think maybe I should go grab the fire extinguisher."

Katie's cheeks turned pink, but her lips curled into a playful smile. "You're one to talk, Parker. I distinctly remember you almost burning down the kitchen when you and Danny got ‘distracted' in the pantry."

It was Delia's turn to blush, but before she could say anything, another couple wandered over. "Is this him?" the girl asked, pushing red hair out of her face and scrutinizing me with assessing green eyes.

Katie nodded and laid her head on my shoulder, causing warmth to bloom in my chest and spread throughout my entire body. I'd known that I loved Katie the second I left her behind and realized I couldn't live without her. But I could only guess at how deep her feelings for me went, so when she snuggled into me and sighed with contentment, my heart threatened to burst through my chest.

"Olivia, Landon"—Katie gestured to the man hovering behind the redhead—"this is Sawyer."

"Her boyfriend," I added, staking my claim. I didn't care that these two guys looked besotted by their women. I wanted to make sure everyone knew she was mine.

"You're very thoughtful," Olivia said with a bright smile that widened into a cheeky grin when Landon growled and pulled her back against him. "You could learn a thing or two—" She was cut off when Landon swatted her ass before bending his head and whispering something in her ear. Her face flushed red, and she gave us a jaunty wave. "We have to go, bye!" Then they turned and hurried from the room.

Delia laughed and shook her head. "She's in so much trouble."

"How about we get into trouble together?" Danny murmured.

"Nice to meet you, Sawyer," Delia squeaked before Danny dragged her from the room.

"So…those are my friends." Katie giggled, her eyes dancing with amusement.

"Why don't we follow their example?" I asked in a low, raspy tone.

Katie gulped, and her eyes dropped from my face to my groin before bouncing back up. Her cheeks turned a pretty pink that made me wonder if it was a similar color to her pussy. She opened her mouth, then snapped it shut.

With a chuckle, I dropped the arm I had around her to lace our fingers together. "Let's go somewhere private so we can talk, baby."

"Oh." Her expression fell, and I racked my brain to figure out what I'd said that had upset her. "You don't want…?"

Ah, that was the problem.

I yanked her toward me, plastering her body up against mine. With my free hand, I palmed one of her luscious ass cheeks, pressing her harder against the bulge in my pants. "I very much want," I growled. Dipping my head, I brought my face inches from hers. "I want to feel every inch of your gorgeous, naked body. I want to trace every dip and crevice with my tongue before I eat your sweet pussy until you scream in ecstasy. I want to feel my cock sliding inside you, fucking you, coming inside you." I paused and closed my eyes, trying not to give in to the need fraying my control. After a moment, I took a deep breath and met her bright, passionate gaze. "Don't ever doubt how much I fucking want you, baby."

Katie shivered, and I mentally shouted at my libido to stand the fuck down for a little longer. "I want you too, Sawyer," she whispered with a seductive smile as she rubbed her lower body against me.

Fuck.

My pulse was racing, and my cock was so damn hard that I struggled to get a deep breath. Putting the brakes on at that moment should have earned me a gold medal in determination. I didn't have a fucking clue how I managed it, but I released her and stepped back.

"But things need to be said before we take that step"—my eyes bored into hers—"and we will sure as fuck be taking it."

Katie grimaced, and her thighs tightened—which nearly broke me—then she sighed and nodded. "You're right. We can go up to my room."

Since I wasn't familiar with her sorority house, I let her lead the way up the stairs to her room. I was relieved to see only a single bed, which meant she didn't have a roommate. I averted my eyes from the soft, flat surface.

Not the bed. Not yet .

There was also a small desk with a swivel chair pushed into it. I pointed at it and ordered, "Sit."

Katie sauntered over to the indicated seat, and I didn't miss the extra sway she put in her hips. I narrowed my eyes in warning when she looked back at me over her shoulder. "Behave."

"I will," she agreed as she sat. Then she smirked and threw my words back at me. "For now."